Arjun Rampal speaks to Subhash K Jha about his many, varied exciting upcoming projects and more!
What are your current projects?
There are a few films that are completely ready for release, like Punjab 95 with Diljit, directed by Honey Trehan and produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP. The Rapist with Konkana Sen, directed by Aparna Sen, produced by Sameer Nair’s Applause. This is the one I am really excited about. It is a complex role of a man dealing with his wife’s rape.
The Rapist is an exceptional film. What was it like working with Sameer Nair and Aparna Sen?
Aparna is one of the few female directors I’ve worked with. The other was Reema Kagti for Honey Travels Pvt Ltd. The Rapist is a very sensitive exploration of the trauma of rape. Konkona is exceptional. Hats off to Sameer Nair and Applause for backing this game-changing project.
Aparna thinks you are a gorgeous-looking man?
(laughs in embarrassment) Ha ha, well, she is a gorgeous woman. But honestly, I don’t give much importance to looks. It’s the work that counts. There is another special film which I’ve done.
Which is?
The Blind Game, directed by Sangeeth Sivan, is so sad that it will be his last film. Such a wonderful human and director he was. It was produced by Deepak Mukut. Then I have two Abbas Mustan films, Penthouse and Three Monkeys, and a Netflix series, Rana Naidu 2. Currently, I am filming for Dhurandhar, a film by Aditya Dhar, an amazing lad with a fabulous mind. So, yeah, I am excited about all of them.
What do you look for in your scripts at this juncture of your career?
I guess, how different is it going to be from anything I have done before. How much I can lose myself in it.
Your daughters are young ladies, are they readying themselves to follow in Daddy’s footsteps?
My girls are surely young ladies now. I just want them to do whatever makes them happy. Mahikaa, my elder one, has studied and graduated from film school. She’s training to be an actress and has my full support. I think she will be fabulous. Myra is off to University in London to study the business of fashion. They are very clear and have been able to identify their path as of now. For that, I am lucky. Circumstances and mindsets change all the time. So, we all go with the flow.
Nothing seems to be working these days; does that exasperate you?
I don’t think that’s fair to say that nothing is working. There has been a lot of very good films and series that have been made, new talents making their mark. The percentage of success of a film at box office has always been around 5 to 6 percent only. That hasn’t changed much. One just is more aware of box office these days, thanks to social media platforms.
Has the OTT changed the box-office equation?
I think to distinguish between Box-office and OTT is not right they both are part of one industry. Such is the ways of the business now and there is a good synergy between them.
You have been around for a good twenty-five years. How much has the film industry changed?
It’s gotten more professional, for sure. The crews are more educated. The discipline on set is much better. All over, it’s more professional. Less time to really bond like the old days. But output is far greater. It’s tough to have good friends in the industry, but at the same time, it’s not impossible.
When are you directing a film?
Very soon.
